Memories
by SasukexKaname
Summary: The chunin exam is underway, and old memories are torn to the surface for a certain Uchiha. Can Kaname help Sasuke cope with these feelings? Quick story I put together. i hope you like it! review!


**WARNING! lol**

**I got this idea from a SASUxSAKU doujin I read! So I only own some of the concept! :)**

**This will be part of the Fading Love Story in the future... if i can ever get that far... :)**

**-Kaname Hatake**

**~X~X~**

Memories…

A small recollection of the past…

_**Move!**_

_All he could think about was Kana. _

_'No!' he screamed mentally. 'He can't kill her too! I won't let her die!" He had to get to Kana, before it was too late… _

It had been too late.

_**Smile.**_

"_Sasuke! You…" the girlish voice cried as he landed on top of the girl. The ice beneath them stuck to their body's, chilling them, yet each was warm at the idea of being so close._

Another memory... A newer one…

_**A Snake…**_

_**Blood…**_

_**A bite mark…**_

_**A curse ...**_

The boy sighed.

'What's with all these memories?'

Sasuke gazed up at the stars. That painful memory also came with a scent; a scent of sweet raspberries and flowers...

'Suffering in that unknown pain, I had leaned into her comforting, outstretched hands…' he recalled.

The pain had been unbelievable, yet those hands held him so tightly.

'I thought those hands would disappear if I didn't hold onto them…'

Sasuke forced himself to come back to reality.

He glanced over at Kaname. She looked exhausted.

"Get some sleep Hatake." He ordered. "Ookami, Daiske, and I will get food and keep watch."

Kaname sighed in relief.

"I'll stay with Kaname-chan!" Daiske yelled, a grin sweeping onto his face. "Sasuke, go get medical herbs, food and water!"

"What are you saying?"Ookami yelled. The wolf girls white hair flew as she stormed over the boy. "Sasuke injured his leg!" she screeched. "If anything, you and I will go."

Daiske groaned. "Ya, ya…" he mumbled as the twosome stormed off.

Sasuke sighed. "Really…"

Looking back at Kaname, Sasuke noticed that she had fallen asleep. He decided now would be a good time to change his leg bandages.

"Ugn…" he winced as pain shot through him. The kunai shaped cut stung horribly as he rewrapped it. The Uchiha tied a knot on the fresh bindings and leaned back on the tree. Lazily, he shut his eyes, and when he opened them, they found their way to Kaname's sleeping form.

'…She looked so peaceful…' he thought.

The only problem was that Kaname was covered head to toe in bandages.

'Funny…' he remembered, a small fraction of a smile creeping onto his features, 'she looked just like she did the first day I met her four years ago.'

That was the day of Kana's funeral.

A painful shutter ran down his spine. He remembered how scared and confused he had been when he first saw her.

Kana and Kaname… they were practically the same person.

The only differences were the darker hair and eyes…

The Uchiha pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't like thinking of his dead love.

Dead…

Sasuke averted his gave from Kaname's face to her hand, wanting to forget about her for a moment. He was shocked to see her hand covered in burses.

'What the—" he muttered. Then it hit him.

"_GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sasuke screamed, his hand flying up to his shoulder where the man had just bit him._

"_Sasuke-kun," the man chuckled, "you will seek me… You will want more power that only I can give you…" Sasuke continued to yell out in pain._

"_Sasuke-kun!" Kaname yelled as she ran over to him. Ookami ran at the man._

"_OROCHIMARU, YOU BASTARD!" she screeched, chakra pooling from her hands. The snake chuckled. _

"_There is nothing you can do my dear. He will look for me, and when he does," he side stepped Ookami's blow, "there will be nothing you can do."_

_With that, Orochimaru disappeared._

"_Sasuke, Sasuke!" Kaname cried. Sasuke grabbed Kaname's hand and squeezed it tightly as his screams enveloped the forest."Sasuke…" she mumbled. "Ookami! Daiske! Please! Someone…" No one answered. Ookami had disappeared, and Daiske was out cold. _

_Kaname sniffled and buried her face into Sasuke. "It'll be ok! I promise!—"_

Sasuke grit his teeth together.

"—_I'll protect you at all costs!" _

A voice in Sasuke's mind laughed eerily.

"I told you…" it taunted.

Another memory flashed though his head—

Kaname was lying on the ground, beaten and bleeding. A sound ninja stood over her, little air sockets in his hand, preparing for the final blow. Something had cracked inside of him at that moment. The curse mark had spread on its own, and the next thing he knew, Kaname was at his side holding him, begging him to revert to his old self.

"You can't save anything…" the voice continued.

In Sasuke's subconscious, Orochimaru walked towards him. "You are weak... you need me."

"Nng…" a soft voice stirred.

Sasuke was yanked back to the present at the sound of a soft moan coming from Kaname's parted lips.

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Something had brushed against her hand, causing her to awaken.

'I swear, I kill whatever it is,' she thought irritably. 'I was sound asleep!'

But what she saw made her stop cold.

Sasuke's hand was intertwined with hers, and it was shaking.

"Sasuke-kun?" she muttered shocked. Then she looked at his other hand, which was currently clutching the curse mark. "Sasuke kun, are you ok?" she asked, worry flooding her face. "It's the mark again, isn't it?"

Sasuke said nothing for a moment.

"Kaname…." He whispered through clenched teeth. Her bandaged face looked back at him, reflecting pain. The Uchiha looked away ashamed.

The Hatake couldn't tear her eyes away from her dark haired teammate. He was in pain, and she could tell.

Finally, she looked down.

"…sorry…" a voice softly echoed.

Kaname yanked her head back up.

"I'm so sorry…" he said again, his head down and resting on his propped up arm.

The girl didn't know what to do. Sasuke was shaking, whether from pain or something else she did not know. Slowly, her instincts kicked in.

'I promised myself,' Sasuke yelled in his mind, 'I won't die, and I will become strong, no matter what the cost!" His eyes stung. "But look at me… If I can't even protect Kaname! How will I ever be able to kill HIM?'

Softly, he felt himself being pulled into Kaname's arms. His head came to rest on the nape of her neck. One of her arms draped around his shoulder, while the other stayed clutched to his hand.

Sasuke's eyes watered uncontrollable, but he did not cry.

'Everything I need right now…' he thought as he screwed his eyelids shut, 'it's so far away!'

Kaname realized what he was so upset about. He was mad at himself, because he couldn't protect her the one time she really needed it.

"Sasuke- kun," she finally said, her voice warm and soft and her head leaning against his shoulder, "thank you for always protecting me." Sasuke said nothing, but he did sink into her more. "But," she continued, "I also want to protect the people important to me." Sasuke's eyes widened as a soft blush arose on his face.

"So," he stuttered, beginning to understand, "you got hurt because…"

Kaname smiled, glad that he got it. "That's right," she said, "I was protecting someone important to me." Kaname let her head bury further into him. "So please," she begged, "don't be upset…"

Sasuke lifted himself off Kaname and brought her hand to his face.

"Sasuke?" Kaname questioned. The Uchiha reached into his bag and pulled out more bandages and slowly began wrapping her hand. Kaname smiled and let him silently continue to work.

"Ne, Sasuke…" she said after a while, "do u know the significance of the shinobi teams?"

Sasuke stared blankly at her in return.

"It's means that we share a common destiny… It's something Ookami taught me." Kaname brought her newly bound hand up to her face and smiled.

Sasuke smirked at her.

"I see…"

Kaname, realizing what was happening, blushed and looked away. "Ugh!" she grunted loudly, making Sasuke jump a bit. "Ookami went overboard on the first aid! I look ugly…"

The raven haired boy looked at her for a moment, before slowly brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"But it does look kinda cool…" he smirked.

Kaname giggled blushed. "Hehehe…"

But for some reason, his cool touch was bringing back an unwanted memory; the one of the sound ninja that attacked her, followed by the memory of Sasuke breaking the ninja's arms.

"Heh…" she continued laughing, although,her eyes were begining to water. Finally, her laughing stopped. The feeling of Sasuke's hand stroking her cheek brought her over the edge.

"You did your best Kaname… to protect us all… there was nothing you could do…" Sasuke reassured her. Kaname fell into his chest, sobbing.

"They… They could have killed you and Daiske!" she cried. "And I wouldn't have been able to do a thing!"

Sasuke again remembered Kaname broken on the floor, still fighting to protect him and Daiske. Sasuke stroked her honey brown hair, hoping to calm her.

The two lay in silence for a moment, before Kaname abruptly stated something.

"It doesn't matter to me or anyone if you have some great power Sasuke…"

His eyes widened. How many times would this girl shock him with her words!

"Even if you go looking for power somewhere else," she continued, " even if you leave us behind to get your revenge, I'll be okay…"

Sasuke stared at the girl in his arms.

"Kaname… I…"

Kaname clutched his shirt and held him tightly.

"We'll all wait for you." she said in a small voice, barely audible. "Everyone is here for you and when you come back…," she said, her voice shaking through her false smile, "when you walk thought the gates, I'll say… 'Welcome home…' with open arms."

The boy sat still, processing her words.

Finally, he found his voice.

"Thank you... Kaname."

Memories of Kana filled him for some reason. Her empty hand was outstretched for him.

In his subconscious, he was crying .

Kana was smiling. "You like this girl, don't you…" 

Her eyes were watery, yet she smiled brightly at him. Sasuke did nothing. He just cried quietly.

"I'm glad you have someone Sasuke," she said as she turned and walked away.

Sasuke's head shot up. "Kana?"

The small girl turned around. 

"Kana, I will always love you!" Sasuke shouted.

The little girl smiled.

"As will I idiot… Now," she smiled, "you can finally forget about me and look at what is right in front of you…"

"Kana...—" 

...

"Thank you…" Sasuke said out loud, and finally, for the first time in years, let himself embrace another human being.

Kaname, who had stopped crying, realized the change in his behavior. "Sasuke…- ku…" The Hatake shut her mouth before she finished her sentence.

'This girl,' Sasuke thought as he inhaled her scent, 'maybe… just maybe… she is the key to my being happy again.'

Abruptly though, Sasuke was thrown to the ground, ruining the moment.

"Oi!" he barked.

Kaname laughed. "Catch me if you can!"

The girl started running deeper into the forest.

'Ugh!' he growled mentally. 'Maybe not! But still...-' he chuckled as he ran at Kaname and tackled her to the floor.

_~FIN~_

_Memories_

Subconscious

Normal

_**Emphasis **_

~Fin~

_**~X~X~**_

**Fluuuf! hahahaha! I hope you all enjoyed this~! PLEASE REVEIWWWW!**


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